CEBU - The Department of Social Welfare and Development has recorded almost a hundred barangays in the region without day-care centers.
DSWD regional director Teodulo Romo said that there are around 3,500 day-care centers in 3,300 barangays in Region 7, but still there are around almost a hundred barangays in the region that do not have day-care centers.
These barangays with no day care centers are usually situated in the mountain areas.
“To make it cost-efficient, we put up day-care centers in nearby barangays.Also, there are teacher volunteers who would also be going to these areas and teach those that are being taught in day-care centers,” Romo added.
Romo urged parents to send their children to day-care centers in preparation for formal education.
“It is very necessary for children to experience pre-school because this will really prepare them in meeting new people and at the same time it will also take away their shyness due to early exposure,” he said.
He noted that only four out of 10 children are enrolled to pre-school, which is why most children who are directly enrolled to Grade one are still incompetent.
He also said that through pre-school education children are encouraged to learn and adapt to new things. Aside from day-care centers, the DSWD in collaboration with the different local government units in the region has initiated a “neighborhood play” program where trained volunteers gather the children to play and learn at the same time.
“The neighborhood play is usually used in mountain barangays where there are only limited households,’ he said. —Jasmin R. Uy/BRP (THE FREEMAN)